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Carbohydrates
Proteins
Lipids
Nucleic Acids

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Organic molecules: contain carbon
Water is the most abundant molecule in cells
Minerals are considered trace elements and are not needed in large amounts to sustain life

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Provide energy to cells
Consist of atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
 Usually twice as many hydrogen as oxygen atoms
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C
C
6
H
12
H
12
22
O
O
6
11 glucose sucrose
Simple sugars: monosaccharides
Complex carbohydrates: disaccharides or polysaccharides

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Stimulate the immune system
Play a role in binding viruses and bacterial pathogens
Provide cell structure

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Simple sugars
Easily broken down for energy

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Complex sugars
Examples: starch, glycogen, cellulose
Used for energy storage and to build cell structures
Broken down through cellular respiration to create energy (ATP)

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Serve as structural materials, energy sources or hormones
Combined with carbohydrates and function on cell surface as receptors
Contain Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Sometimes they also contain sulfur atoms
Building blocks are amino acids

 Serve as Transport molecules such as hemoglobin carrying oxygen in rbc.
 Stimulate nerve impulses
 Provide immune protection

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Build Cell Structure
Transport molecules between cells
Relay messages – hormones
Speed up reactions – enzymes

 Organic substances which are insoluble in water
 Soluble in certain organic solvents such as ether or acetone
 Include fats, phospholipids and steroids
 Store energy for cells and can store more energy, gram for gram, than carbs
 Building blocks for fats are fatty acids and glycerol.

 Lipids are highly useful storage molecules, can be broken down to release more energy than a sugar molecule

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Contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus.
Building blocks are nucleotides
2 types of nucleic acids:
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RNA: contain ribose
DNA: Deoxyribose
Store and transfer genetic information
Control cellular activities

 Provide instruction for making proteins which direct the structure and activity of the cell
 Ex. RNA, DNA, NAD
 DNA is the most important of these molecules because it makes the organism what it is

Biological molecule
Proteins Amino acids
Repeating subunit
Carbohydrates Simple sugars
Nucleic Acid Nucleotides
Lipids No single repeating unit exists. Primarily hydrocarbons, which are chains of carbon molecules linked to hydrogens